Dutch Army will send two batteries of Patriot air defence missile system in Turkey 0812121

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Defense News - Netherlands
 
 
Saturday, December 8, 2012, 11:24 AM
 
Dutch Army will send two batteries of Patriot air defence missile system in Turkey.
The government of Netherlands decided to send Patriot air defense missiles to Turkey to protect the NATO member against possible air attacks from neighboring Syria, Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans said on Friday, December 7, 2012, after a meeting of Dutch Ministers.
     
The government of Netherlands decided to send Patriot air defense missiles to Turkey to protect the NATO member against possible air attacks from neighboring Syria, Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans said on Friday, December 7, 2012, after a meeting of Dutch Ministers.
Dutch Army Patriot air defence ground-to-air missile system
     

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands, the only three NATO nations with the most modern type of Patriots, have all agreed to send missiles to protect their ally.

Germany and the Netherlands have each said they will send two Patriot batteries with multiple missile launchers. It is the third time that the Netherlands sends its Patriot systems to Turkey. In 1991 and 2003 the Dutch Patriots were used to protect Turkey against possible attacks by the Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

A U.S. defense official said the United States would probably contribute two batteries, but the number has not been finalized yet and could go up.

Last month Turkey issued a request to NATO countries for the deployment of Patriot missile systems. The Netherlands will send two batteries of Patriots, accompanied by maximum of 360 Dutch soldiers.

NATO approved Turkey's request for air defense batteries on Tuesday, December 6, 2012, , and Germany's cabinet agreed on Thursday to send Patriot missiles and up to 400 soldiers.

It will take several weeks before the Patriots will be installed at the Turkish-Syrian border. The exact start of the operation, which will last for one year, is unknown yet.

In recent months Turkish border villages were hit several times by mortar and artillery shells from Syria. Patriots are not suitable to stop this type of violence, but the Turks fear possible attacks with chemical missiles.